Nahiridon Bagane, Burkina Faso

Project Status

Wells for Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is one of our newest country programs. Our implementing partner is working primarily in and around Dano with the indigenous Dagara people. With the help of our donors around the world, the Burkina Faso program will provide clean, safe water to thousands of people for years to come.

Functionality Data

Install Date: 12/18/2012

Current Status: Needs Repair

Last Checkup: 04/27/2018

Well Depth: 181.00M

Notes:

We are actively working with this partner to resolve the issues in this community. The "last visit" date is not necessarily the date we were notified by the partner of any potential problems. Once informed of downtime, we work to respond quickly. We will update the project status when these issues are resolved.

Well Rehab

Well rehabilitation is one of the most cost effective ways to bring clean, safe water to a community. Sometimes it involves fixing a broken hand pump, other times it means sealing a hand dug well to prevent it from being contaminated. These repairs, and often time total replacements, coupled with sanitation and hygiene training make a huge impact in communities.

Rehabilitation Project

Rehabilitation is not just fixing a pump - it’s total community re-engagement.

There’s only one thing we can think of that might be worse than not having safe water: having safe water, and then losing it because a project fell into disrepair.

Rehabilitation often proves to be a big challenge, as many wells have sit idle for years and there is typically little information about the specifics of the well. A borehole and dug well rehabilitation involves quite a bit of discovery. First, our teams work to discover as much as they can about the initial project. What materials were used? Was the borehole/hand-dug well properly constructed? Many of these questions can only be answered by diving in, and doing “the work” which makes up a rehabilitation.

Once our teams have found the problem, they find the solution. Then, they reconstruct the well and install a hand pump.

Engagement and training with communities takes into account rehabilitation was needed and alters the program to suit the needs of the community. After all - engaging with this community in the same way which led to the initial, failed project will not bring new results. Our teams work to understand the social and support reasons leading to initial failure, and make those areas a focus of our ongoing engagement with communities.

Local Leadership

Local leadership is a lasting investment

Sustainable water projects only occur through the presence of local leaders. The Water Project identifies, develops, supports, and partners with local organizations who share our vision of reliable and verifiable clean water. Together, we build water programs that include responsible community development, lasting local solutions and ongoing monitoring and resolution.

Community Engagement

Community engagement is at every step of a water project.

Our engagement is rooted in relationship and includes involving the community in implementation and ongoing support, setting expectations for water point management and ongoing costs, etc. All of this happens before a water project is installed.

We use a term called ABCD: “Asset Based Community Development”. This means the community gets a leading seat at the table. Before we seek to bring anything into the community, we first seek to understand and utilize the assets that already exist within the community.

Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Community education and self-discovery about hygiene and sanitation concepts lead to improved health.

Improved health is always the goal. This is why all our projects include hygiene and sanitation training. We utilize many different methods for this training, depending on the community/institution, program and country. Training topics include disease transmission, personal hygiene and cleanliness, proper disposal of waste and proper water storage methods.

Monitoring and Resolution

Water isn’t a pump. Water is a service. And, it must be reliable.

The known benefits of water are ONLY true if water can be counted on, over time. We love celebrating when a project is complete and a community has access to clean, safe water. However, the ongoing service of water - making water reliable - is how we know our true impact.

The Water Project continues to monitor our water projects, and we provide continued support to make sure water service continues for communities.

Past water projects and the communities they serve are just as important to us as anything else we might be doing in the future.

Project Timeline FAQ

Project Status

We’re working hard to make sure your gifts result in a lasting water project for the community it serves. Our engagement with a community begins many months before construction and lasts years after construction. The timeline here is focused on the physical construction of the water project. There is also training and engagement work that has already started.

Water project construction in the developing world is hard work. A lot of things can and do cause delays - which are normal. We attempt to make our best judgment of when construction will be complete, but the circumstances surrounding actual "in the field" conditions are far from our control.

Weather, supply availability, government paperwork, and progress of community involvement are just a few of the variables that can delay (and sometimes speed up) a project's completion.

We will always tell you if anything changes. And, if you get a notice like this – it’s actually further proof your gifts are being carefully used towards a water project that lasts.

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Community Profile

Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports…

A LWI Burkina Faso team member stated, “It was a delightful outing with the people of Nahiridon. The sun wasn’t as hot as it usually is and there was a nice breeze making for a pleasant experience for all. The people were very happy to receive clean water again as it is difficult in their area to find water.” When the team arrived, community members were utilizing a protected hand dug well located .7 of a kilometer away from the community to meet all of their water needs. Because of this and the community’s practice of open defecation, families were suffering from dysentery, typhoid and malaria. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a water committee consisting of six men and two women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible and provided food. This water committee is also responsible for collecting an annual well maintenance fee of $1.00 per family. Before leaving the community, the team provided community member, Beherman Malo, with a LWI Burkina Faso contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

The LWI Burkina Faso team had an opportunity to meet with thirty-one year old community member and housewife and farmer, Moussa Zingue, who stated, “I think that today, I am very happy because before when the pump broke down, it was very difficult for us to get clean water to drink. We were obliged to drink water from the creeks and from the open hand dug wells which were not good. But, with the activities that I came to see with my own eyes we can get water from the pump that is clean. Thus, I want to thank you very much on behalf of the village with empty hands but truly our hearts are full of joy and we must worship the Lord Jesus. Thanks to everyone who came out to participate in these activities today!” (note: culturally when they say that they “give thanks with empty hands” it is to say that nothing was offered under the table in return for the work, but that it was between friends openly given and received.)

During the hygiene education, the LWI Burkina Faso team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.

Project Updates

12/18/2012: Nahiridon Bagane Project Complete!

We are excited to report that the community of Nahiridon Bagane in Burkina Faso has a newly restored source of safe, clean water. We just posted a report from the field including GPS coordinates, pictures, and information about the community.

Project Photos

Project Type

Well rehabilitation is one of the most cost effective ways to bring clean, safe water to a community. Sometimes it involves fixing a broken hand pump, other times it means sealing a hand dug well to prevent it from being contaminated. These repairs, and often time total replacements, coupled with sanitation and hygiene training make a huge impact in communities.